Valley Rewind: Black Mountain Airport, 1939

In this 1939 snapshot, James H. Park strikes a pose next to an airplane at the Black Mountain Airport. Situated on what is now the grounds of the Ingles warehouse on U.S. 70, its primary runway was reputed to span a mile in length, making it the largest airfield in the vicinity at one time. Constructed during the 1930s, the airport experienced a revitalization in the mid-1940s. However, as time elapsed, its usage dwindled until World War II flight instructor W.C. "Red" Nichols breathed new life into it by purchasing the land in 1945, establishing a flight school and aviation service. By 1946, the airport boasted a roster of 30-40 aircraft, including a cruiser employed for passenger transport to the Asheville-Hendersonville airport. Nichols later put the airport land up for sale in the 1960s, and Ingles purchased it in 1975.